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Ray Parlour

Former Arsenal & England footballer

Ray Parlour Ray Parlour was loyal, dependable, tenacious and a much better player than he was given credit for. Instantly recognisable with his blond curls, the man tagged The Romford Pelé rose through the ranks and broke into the Arsenal side in January 1992. The young midfielder fitted snugly into George Graham's solid midfield whilst Ian Wright and Paul Merson created magic further forward.

His skills blossomed further under Arsène Wenger. His will to win gave Arsenal's midfield such perfect balance and playing alongside the likes of Patrick Vieira and Dennis Bergkamp he won the hearts of the Highbury faithful. Ray scooped the man of the match award when Arsenal added the FA Cup to their League title by beating Newcastle at Wembley in May 1998. Four years later he scored one of the great Cup Final goals, stunning Chelsea from 25 yards at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.

Ray left Highbury on a high note in the summer of 2004, shortly after Wenger's 'Invincibles' had completed an unbeaten title campaign. He had a lower profile than many of the big names in the side and remains one of the most underrated but highly decorated players in Arsenal's history.

Ray Parlour Ray was capped 10 times by England between 1999 - 2000. Currently Ray is a regular on Talksport Radio and Sky Sports, and is fast becoming one of the most popular speakers on the after dinner circuit.

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